The second-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives said in a recorded conversation last summer that he thought then-candidate Donald Trump was being paid by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. Spokespeople insist he made the comment in jest.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) made the remark in a private conversation with fellow Republican leaders on June 15, according to the report. A month earlier, McCarthy had signed up as a Republican National Convention delegate for Trump.

The Post published a full transcript of the publication tape, but hereâ€™s the relevant portion from the original report:

â€śIâ€™ll guarantee you thatâ€™s what it isâ€¦The Russians hacked the DNC and got the opp [opposition] research that they had on Trump,â€ť McCarthy said with a laugh.

Ryan asked who the Russians â€śdeliveredâ€ť the opposition research to.